Of Adventure
by Roseria Sylvester
Summary: 200 years after the Oblivion Crisis, the Dragon Crisis begins in the province of Skyrim... but what is happening in Cyrodiil at around the same time? A young Bosmer woman adventures across the Imperial Province, but at each turn her fate begins to draw her into events that will drive her north to the cold landscape of Skyrim... and eventually into the warm arms of her future love.
1. Chapter 1

**So this is the first chapter to "Of Adventure"- and yes xcaliber234, I couldn't think of anything better for a title; but it DOES show that "Of Adventure" is closely connected to "Of Shadows". Those of you who are familiar with the characters will know why, and those of you who aren't are in for one hell of an interesting ride as you delve into the past of my Bosmer character. Anyone who loves this story- should check out "Of Shadows" by xcaliber234, you'll love it.**

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_In the darkness of an Alyeid ruin, a group of adventurers delves into the deepest reaches of the long forgotten keep. A young Bosmer girl of 15 years stands at the ready behind her father with a bow in hand - an arrow waiting to be fired at a heartbeats notice._

"_Tyvin take point, Little-Fox… stay close." says the girl's father, the leader of this expedition- using her childhood pet name she had earned by being clever and sly as a fox. The girl nods and sticks close to her father's side as they walk the dark and musty halls. As they reach the heart of the ruin, a dark chill begins to permeate the air- making the entire party feel ill at ease. As they scan the large chamber for signs of inhabitants, the shadows dance mockingly under the lights of their torches- each minute motion of the shadows making them jump slightly. The girl's pointed ears catch a faint sound- as do her father's- together they whip around and fire their arrows in synch at the source of the noise that had broken the dead silence of the ruin. The arrows clatter against the wall and skitter over the stone floor across the wide room and a sinister chuckle can be heard as a shape emerges from the shadows where the two archers had fired just seconds before._

"_Damn it! A lich!" Shouts one of the other members of the party, as there had been no reports of ghostly activity near this ruin… they had neglected to bring any silver equipment and none of them were particularly skilled in magic. The lich attacks with a vengeance slaughtering the closest man without mercy, the girl and her father begin to back up towards the door- finding no dishonor in retreating from a fight they cannot hope to win, though their last companion does not feel as they do… and charges head on with his war axe in hand. _

"_I'LL KILL YOU!" he shouts with his final breath as the Lich strikes him down as well. The Lich advances on the father and daughter pair with cold and murderous intent in it's ghostly eyes._

"_Rin… go ahead- I will catch up." says the girl's father as he pushes her towards the door, his eyes never leaving the approaching lich- this time using her birth name. Rin nods with misted eyes, worried for her father and more scared than she has ever been in her life as she rushes through the archway they had taken to enter the chamber- the screech of a gate closing behind her and the click of a lock returning her attention to the room she had left behind._

"_Father! Why?!" she says franticly as she shakes the gate- hoping the ancient door would break at her attempts. Her father turns to her with tears in his old eyes- the first time she has seen him cry since the death of her mother._

"_Go my Little-Fox, you are not meant to die here. Live for me and our fallen friends." he says, his voiced pained as the lich descends upon him- Rin screams for her father one last time before dashing out of the ruin with tear filled eyes._

"FATHER!" I shouted as I sat bolt upright in bed, my clothes drenched with cold sweat as I swung my legs off the bed and sat there with my face in my hands and my elbows on my knees. That dream had haunted me since the day my father died at the hands of a lich. Four years today- and I still wasn't over watching him die to save my life. I stood up and stretched, if I couldn't sleep I could at least go roam the city. I changed out of my night clothes and into what I usually wore: a black halter top with red leather straps that leave my collar bone exposed as they meet the thin red choker around my neck; the top is cut at the bottom of my ribs, leaving my midriff exposed. The pants of my outfit are a little more complex: They are also black and cut so that at about mid-thigh they are open and look similar to the straps of a drum- the section where they connect to the fabric of the pants also being of red leather; these pants then tuck into my dark leather boots. The boots are knee high with a slight heel and are held closed by two belts, one near the top and one near the bottom. I sighed slightly as I donned my fletch-guard on my left arm- a semi-fingerless glove that stops just before my elbow- it is made of a light weight yet durable plain brown fabric and the only fingers that are actually fully covered are my pointer finger and thumb; it is fastened to my arm by two black leather belts: one on my wrist and the other at the end of the glove near my elbow. As I finish fasting my fletch guard I turned around quickly- headed for the door across the room, the lone gold hoop earring on my left ear jingled slightly behind my light lavender hair as I grab my silver dagger from my desk and bend down mid stride to tuck the blade into its place inside my left boot. I waved goodbye to the maid and exited my house- Rosethorn Hall- and out onto the streets of Skingrad. A breeze blew by and rustled my hair- my long bangs that always framed my face swaying slightly. I had gotten quite a few odd looks when I cut my hair several years ago- it used to be shoulder length all the way around, though now I had it cut short to the nape of my neck in the back; leaving my long bangs to grow out slightly and barely reach my collar bone.

I gazed up at the starlit sky- the twin moons high above, lighting the streets enough for me to wander aimlessly without stumbling over the odd child's toy left out after dark. I walked in a half-daze, only snapping back when I realized my legs had carried me to the chapel and the graveyard beside it… and the empty grave of my father.

"Damn it… someday father- someday soon… I will bring you home." I murmured as I knelt beside the cold stone marker and ran my hand across the engraving of my fathers name and his short epitaph.

_Rziel_

_Master Archer of the Fighter's Guild_

_He fought with honor to his last arrow,_

_cast down in the stead of innocence._

_May he find peace in Atherius._

A single tear rolled down my cheek and onto the cool grass, my heart aching as I thought about returning to that ruin to kill the Lich for what had to have been the millionth time over the past four years- my father's final words ringing in my head, keeping me grounded and away from recklessly seeking my own death. It was the same every year, the 5th of Heartfire- I would spend weeks thinking about it before coming to my father's empty grave to pay my respects before intending to set out for the ruin… but lost my nerve each time I read one line of the epitaph: Cast down in the stead of innocence. My father had given his life to save mine- seeking my own death needlessly would dishonor his name. I sighed and stood to leave, returning to my home and sitting down at the kitchen table to sulk. Another year had passed and I was no closer to avenging my father- I was beginning to think it a fools folly to even think of vengeance. Here I was, nineteen and my only companion is my maid- no friends to speak of, or a lover to seek comfort from on a day such as this one; I had devoted the past four years to training, becoming an archer nearly on par with my father himself.

"Milady, I know it is not my place to say this- but perhaps you should take a break from training and such violent things? I hear one of the nobles of the Imperial City is hosting a dinner party, perhaps Milady should attend?" suggested my maid Nia, her mother had served my family for years and she had recently taken her mother's place after a near-tumble down the second floor stairway. She honestly was my only friend- but was far more lady-like that I could ever stomach being.

"Perhaps… so long as you don't try and weasel me into wearing a dress." I said with a sigh, realizing that Nia was indeed right- I needed a distraction from my sorrows.

"Of course not Milady, I could never persuade you to wear such attire." she said with a smile before heading upstairs to prepare my things for travel.

I walked upstairs and found Nia walking out of the washroom,

"Milady should look presentable before heading out, a bath before traveling lessens the grim to be removed upon arrival." she said sweetly, presenting me with a towel and ushering me into the washroom. It never took me long to bathe, and I was out of the tub in little under thirty minutes. I walked into my room clad in only my towel and was less than pleased to find Nia had laid out a gold and burgundy dress on my bed- no doubt expecting me to put it on.

"NIA." I shouted simply, the young woman peeking her head in the door with her typical sweet smile.

"Yes Milady?" she asked innocently. I sighed and held up the dress,

"Where did this come from?" I asked her simply, Nia stepping into the room completely and holding her head down.

"Milady… I fetched it from your mother's things in the basement." she admitted, expecting a reprimand for such an act. My father had ordered our previous maid- Nia's mother- to never touch my mother's things after her death; it was obvious to me now that Nia's mother had apparently informed her of that particular order, but had seen no reason not to put such a beautiful dress to use. I sighed and simply asked that she put the dress back- I would wear one of my other outfits to the dinner party. Nia tensed and scuffled her feet, "While I could never persuade Milady to don a dress- a lack of other clothing would force no other option." Nia said, keeping her eyes diverted from mine. My jaw dropped as I rushed to my dresser- finding my usual attire missing. "Milady will have her things back upon returning home." Nia said with a chipper chuckle before exiting the room once again- leaving me alone with the vile garment that still lay on my bed. I growled in annoyance as I yanked the dress off the bed and donned it begrudgingly, finding it both smooth against my skin and uncomfortably odd against my stomach and right arm as they usually were not covered. I walked to the nearby mirror and my breath hitched in my throat- despite my hairstyle… I was the mirror image of my mother before she had fallen ill eleven years ago. I turned away from the glass sharply, irritably stuffing my feet into the slipper-like shoes that matched the dress before walking down to the first floor without a word to Nia. She did not attempt to speak to me on the matter of the dress again- knowing very well I was not pleased about the issue.

Leaving Rosethorn Hall behind, I made my way to the stables- finding my horse grazing in the paddock. I clicked my tongue as I stood by the fence and her ears perked up immediately, raising her head and gazing at me with her dark brown eyes for a moment before making her way to me, her glossy white coat gleaming as she approached- looking slightly confused by her master's attire

"Oh don't give me that look Dyra. I blame Nia for this travesty." I said to my horse, waving my hands down at myself as I spoke. Over the years I had begun to understand the looks my horse Dyra tended to give me- right now she was most likely finding amusement in my misfortune. Dyra whinnied at me, shaking her head- her way of saying: "The nerve of her! Harumph!" like the grumpy old woman she was. I sighed and saddled Dyra, finding it difficult and frankly ridiculous looking to sit normally in the saddle- gritting my teeth in annoyance as I was forced to sit side-saddle and ride slowly down the road to the Imperial City. The ride being boring and uneventful- so it hardly registered in my mind by the time I reached the city gates. I sighed as I dismounted from Dyra, guiding her by her reigns into the stable's paddock before entering the city. I looked around at the people as they passed; a mix of every race in the empire- though I saw a disheartening number of Thalmor agents skulking about as well. A bunch of pompous excuses for Mer in my opinion- not that the Empire is much better, but at least they don't force their ideals on people. I sighed to myself as I traversed Talos Plaza- or as the Thalmor order it called: "Dominion Plaza". Originally I had intended to attend a party here in the city… but during my insufferably long ride here I had lost any slim amount of interest in such festivities. Now that I was here however, my eyes soon fell on one of the numerous posters plastered to the walls, this one such poster promoting the Arena. I smirked to myself as I thought perhaps skipping the party and indulging in a few bouts of senseless violence before heading back home. I made up my mind in a matter of seconds, making my way now to the Market District and the Arena beyond that.

The Arena stood proud in the large courtyard the size of an entire city district. As I approached I heard the ever annoying whistling of several Arena combatants training on the grounds and I smirked widely when I heard them silenced by the Grand Champion whacking them over the head.

"Don't know fools know a noble when you see one? Show some respect!" he grumbled to them, and all I could do was sigh… I hated how obvious my heritage was when I dressed like this. Hence why I normally dress the part of the scruffy adventurer- no one parts a crowd or tries to look humble in your presence if you look like you just crawled out of a cave or ruin covered in goblin blood. I ignored the greeter at the entrance and made my way up to the spectator's stands- I had been to the Arena several times with my father and already knew the rules and cared little for betting on someone's life; I simply enjoyed watching the fights. I watched several fights, some were obvious to the outcome- while others were more drawn out and obscure. Though eventually the announcer said something that piqued my curiosity.

"Today we have a special treat for our spectators. Our final match of the day is to be an execution match- where no one walks away and anything goes." he said and the rest of the crowd erupted into cheers, I was surprised- I had never heard of such a match… though my eyes soon fell on a Thalmor Justicar, sitting in the place that had once been reserved for the Emperor of Tamriel, with a smug sneer on his ugly mug. No doubt this cruel form of punishment had been the Thalmor's doing, and I watched as several prisoners were released into the arena pit. An Argonian, a Dunmer, an Imperial, and a Nord- each with iron shackles still on their wrists. Each prisoner was given a sword and set loose to turn on one another. The Argonian was obviously not skilled in combat in the slightest and lasted about five seconds, falling swiftly at the hands of the Dunmer; while the Imperial and the Nord began to trade blows. The Dunmer then attempted to take the Imperial by surprise as he fought the Nord on equal footing- and I was impressed to see the Imperial fend off both attackers with relative ease. His movements skilled and precise- he certainly was no petty criminal. Eventually the Imperial's actions seemed to slow, obviously beginning to tire, and in one fluid movement the Imperial dodged both their attacks- sending their blades into each other's chests.

The crowd roared at the Imperial's triumph, but the Thalmor in the audience glowered down at him- snapping his fingers as he signaled that the victor be executed as planned. The crowd was silent as the Imperial was forced to his knees and an axe raised high above his head- gleaming and ready to cut him down.

"Stop!" I shouted, all eyes diverting to me and my outburst.

"Who are you to question an execution?" fumed the Thalmor, though his face and voice was that of pure calm- even at this distance I could practically feel the fury skillfully hidden behind his eyes. I stood, taking a stance of nobility with my hands neatly folded before me,

"I am Lady Rin of Rosethorn Hall. This match is a farce and a disgrace to the honor of this Arena. Why is this man to be executed for his victory? Is it not honorable to release a prisoner who has won his freedom?" I asked, my voice authoritative and unwavering as I brought up a valid point; many of the people in the crowd murmuring in agreement. The Thalmor seemed to grit his teeth in annoyance, and after a few moments he began to smirk.

"Very well then Lady Rin, if you wish this man spared then perhaps you have no qualms against releasing a murderer-"

"I am no murderer!" shouted the Imperial, interrupting the Thalmor with an interjection of his own defense. I rose an eyebrow; I could hear the sincerity in the Imperial's voice.

"What are the charges against him?" I asked bluntly.

"Five counts of murder. An entire family of farmers in Skyrim and one Imperial Soldier under his own command." The Thalmor answered with a sneer, the Imperial hung his head when he heard the charges said out loud- as if shame and despair hung too heavy on his shoulders. This man was a soldier- skilled with a blade- and had supposedly killed an entire helpless family and one of his subordinates, yet he blatantly claimed with sincerity that he did no such thing… but he held his head low at the mention of the incident. My curiosity was in full swing, I wanted to know more. "I will pay for his pardon." I said blankly, surprising not only the crowd- but the Imperial and the Thalmor as well. The Thalmor said nothing as he waved his hand and the Imperial was dragged out of the Arena pit and back to the Bloodworks. I turned swiftly and left the spectator stands, heading down into the deep recesses of the Arena.

I found the Imperial waiting on his knees with a Thalmor soldier on either side of him and the Justicar from the Arena standing before him,

"You are a very lucky man, that Lady Rin should take a shine to you. Pray to the Divines that your good fortune holds." he spat at the Imperial, who simply turned his head to ignore him.

"Must you demean him more than you already have? I believe 100,000 Septims should be enough of a fee- correct? Take your money and leave him be." I said blankly as I held the bag of gold out to the Justicar, who then took it promptly before slinking off to whatever hole he crawled out of; one of the soldiers unlocking the iron cuffs around the Imperial's wrists before leaving as well. The Imperial then stood to his feet, standing at least 6' tall- easily making me look small at only 5'6"- and rubbed his chaffed wrists.

"You have my thanks, why a noble woman would take interest in a supposed criminal is beyond me… but I thank the divines that you did." he said gratefully, his dark blue eyes on mine as he added a polite bow. I simply rolled my eyes,

"My curiosity got the better of me, I wish to know the whole story behind the accusations against you. Something does not add up to me, it is that doubt that convinces me that something is amiss about the charges." I stated, asking for him to fill in the blanks in my own way.

"Would you reconsider your decision if you did not believe me?" he asked warily, and I smiled reassuringly.

"In the Arena, you proclaimed your innocence. I believed you then, I will believe you now." I said simply. The Imperial man sighed heavily, his breathing shaking slightly and hiding his eyes behind his unkempt dirty blonde hair as he steeled himself to tell his tale.

"I… was drugged. The subordinate I killed slipped highly refined skooma into my mead, I reacted badly and in a blind rage- I killed him and wandered out into the country side before stumbling into a farmhouse…" he explained, his eyes filling with remorse for his actions. I held up my hand to silence him, I had heard enough.

"I believe you, skooma can do unbelievable things to the most noble of hearts. Though might I ask what you will do with your freedom?" I asked him curiously.

"I wish to repay you for your kindness, surely a noble such as yourself could use a bodyguard?" he asked hopefully, I simply chuckled and shook my head.

"You would be surprised how little I need protecting, but you are welcome to stay at Rosethorn Hall until you figure out what to do with yourself." I offered with a smile, his eyes going wide in disbelief.

"I could not impose- you have already saved my life." he said quickly, and I held my hand up again to silence him.

"Would you rather stay where that Justicar can find you and drag you back into the Arena?" I asked, he said nothing and I turned to leave- the Imperial man simply following in silence.

We walked in silence to the stables, I ignored the stares I received for having a tall man dressed in little more than burlap- making it obvious that he had been a prisoner within the last 24 hours- walking not far behind me. As we arrived and Dyra came into view I realized something,

"You know, I don't believe I caught your name." I said, indirectly asking the Imperial man's name.

"My name is Galris, Milady." he responded curtly, with a slight nod of his head. I shook my head and now that we were out of the city proper, I could drop the lady-like behavior.

"I would rather you didn't call me that, I hate being a noble. Just call me Rin." I said with a sigh, Galris simply nodding in agreement as he approached Dyra and moved to mount her saddle- the ornery mare moving out from under him with a snicker-like whinny. I laughed as Galris fell backwards onto the ground with a startled look on his face,

"Stupid beast…" he grumbled as he stood and dusted himself off. I rolled my eyes as Dyra trotted up to me, nudging her nose into my shoulder at his insult.

"Dyra has issues with trust, it is not often that she will let a man ride upon her back- much less one she has never seen before." I explained, Galris simply sighing heavily and folding his arms irritably and said no more as I climbed into the saddle and was not even remotely rejected. I held Dyra still as Galris approached to sit behind me in the saddle, and I could swear I hear him whisper under his breath that this simply wasn't natural. I wondered what he meant by that, but let the matter lie for once- I simply wanted to get home and change out of this confounded dress. The ride home was once again slow, the curse of having to sit side-saddle rearing its ugly head once again.

"Perhaps it would help if I kept you from falling? We could ride faster then." Galris suggested, and to my ears it seemed like a logical suggestion. I nodded and was actually quite surprised to feel his arms snake around my waist, "Better?" he asked simply, and I flicked the reigns to signal to Dyra that she could go faster now- I did not fall or even teeter in the saddle.

"We should arrive in Skingrad by dusk now." I said curtly- ignoring the newfound closeness- and for the rest of the ride, the both of us remained silent.

As expected, the sun was slowly setting over the mountains on the horizon as we arrived in Skingrad. I left Dyra in the capable hands of the stable and guided Galris into the city, and since I was regretfully wearing a dress still I could not take my usual shortcut over a pile of rocks next to the bridge over the underpass that would lead almost directly to Rosethorn Hall.

"Milady I have returned your… things… I was not expecting you to return home with anyone." Nia began to say as we entered the manor, her voice slowing to a whisper as she turned to face us and she caught a glimpse of Galris beside me. As she stared at him, then glanced at me- I was beginning to realize how this must look to her.

"Nia, don't even start. It's not what you think." I said with a heavy sigh, causing my maid to stammer embarrassedly for even thinking such a thing.

"M-my apologies Milady." she said curtly before returning to her duties.

"Nia will no doubt prepare a bath for you and find you some better clothes than prisoner's garments." I said with a frustrated swipe of my fingers through my lavender hair. "After your cleaned up, there is an extra bed in the servant's quarters downstairs if you would like to rest." I said simply before walking upstairs to change.

After returning to my room and donning my usual attire- I felt far more comfortable and like myself than I had in that blasted dress, returning to the main hall to find Nia had already set out dinner… for two. I turned my head away from the table to see Galris sauntering into the room with a yawn as he ruffled his now clean looking sandy blonde hair, probably having take up my offer of a nap.

"Sleep well enough?" I asked with a chuckle, receiving a sleepy grin in response.

"I have not slept so well in months, thank you Lady Rin for allowing me to stay here." he said gratefully, I simply rolled my eyes as I sat down at the table.

"Just call me Rin, I hate being nobility." I said exasperatedly, Galris chuckled in immediate response,

"I can tell, such an outfit is not something I would expect a noble woman to wear." he said, his eyes examining my lithe frame quickly before averting his gaze- realizing a little too late that to anyone else he would look like he was ogling me.

"See something you like?" I teased, the laughter in my tone was hint enough that I did not mean the question seriously. Galris said nothing to this question, simply sitting down and beginning to eat his dinner in silence. As we finished out meal, Nia returned to clear the table and stood stark straight when she saw me once again in my usual attire.

"I almost forgot Milady, this message arrive for you from the Countess of Bruma." she said with a deep blush, more than likely embarrassed that she had forgotten something so simple. I sighed and took the parchment scroll, scooting my chair back enough to place my heels on the table and crossing my legs at the ankle before unrolling the message and reading it's contents. "Might I ask what I says, Milady?" asked Nia curiously, the young woman fidgeting and she tried hard to resist peering over my shoulder- she could be just as insufferably curious as myself… though she was more interested in the potential gossip she could glean if she needed to accompany me to Bruma for a courtly visit. I rolled up the parchment and tossed it nonchalantly to the table,

"Well, it appears the Countess is in need of my particular skill set- but will say no more until I meet with her in Bruma." I explained with an interested smirk on my lips.

"Oh dear… I will begin packing your equipment Milady." Nia said with a heavy sigh, no doubt wishing it had been a party invitation or some other frivolous event that she knows I care little for. Galris sat in his chair with his arms crossed over his chest, his eyes regarding me quizzically.

"Just what skills could the Countess of Bruma need of a noble woman from Skingrad?" he asked curiously and I simply smirked before dropping my feet to the floor and standing up swiftly,

"She no doubt needs a talent dungeon delver, someone who can enter a ruin and return swiftly and intact with whatever she may require. I am one such person." I said confidently, turning to return to my room- I would leave tomorrow morning for Bruma, though how I would sleep with this much excitement coursing though me I could not fathom.

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**SIX PAGES ON MICROSOFT WORKS- my best count yet. Yes I busted this bad boy out and I think I did AMAZING at it, I'm quite proud of myself for it too!**

**Author's Observations: Galris - He was designed to be"the hot guy"Rin saves from the brink of death, and that guy everyone likes... ****until something that i have planned for later XD those of you who know Rin well... will know of what i speak.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Ok so here is Chapter 2! This is were I make a small note and say: READ THE NOTE AT THE BOTTOM BEFORE YOU REVIEW! I won't say what its about here, because if I did- that would be a spoiler XD Enjoy everyone!**

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I had never been particularly found of Bruma, it's not that the cold bothered me or the drunken fools annoyed me- no it was the fact that since the Dominion took over, elves of any kind did not find a warm welcome in areas highly populated by Nords.

"Are you certain you shouldn't don a cloak? Letting your ears show does not seem wise." Galris warned, having tagged along out of concern for my safety- if only he knew how unnecessary his concerns were. I sighed as I left Dyra at the stables, Galris doing the same with his newly purchased Skingrad Chestnut- finding no difficulty dismounting from his steed in full steel armor, something I would expect from a former soldier.

"Believe it or not, but I can handle myself. I am unafraid of these Nords and refuse to hide who I am." I said adamantly, Galris simply scoffing indignantly as I claimed myself capable of self defense.

"Say what you will, I still believe you require protection." he said blankly as he headed for the gates, I sighed and followed; catching up quickly and taking the lead, to Galris' chagrin. I waved kindly to the gate guards who simply nodded their heads with faintly hidden smiles as we entered the town. I still had friends here in Bruma despite the Dominion's influence, and I was relieved to see I still had such friends in the town guard. Galris seemed to relax as well, seeing I had the guards on my side putting him at ease as we traversed the streets and climbed the small hill to the castle courtyard.

"It would be best if you waited outside, my reputation is that of a lone adventurer and many believe that to be the cause of my success. Someone beside me might make the Countess less likely to believe I can get the job done." I said simply, explaining the question I knew Galris was likely to ask before the words even left his mouth. Galris grumbled as he picked a spot against the stone wall and leaned against it to await my return. I smiled thankfully and entered the castle, walking purposefully up the long carpeted hall that lead to the audience chamber where the Countess sat on her throne awaiting my arrival.

"Lady Rin of Rosethorn Hall, I presume?" the Countess inquired as I approached.

"Indeed your ladyship, how may I be of assistance?" I said with a slight bow, once again assuming the lady-like poise the situation would require.

"As you may know, I am a collector of relics of the first era- Akaviri artifacts in particular. One such artifact has eluded me for quite some time, should you accept my proposal I will divulge the name and possible location of this elusive artifact. In return for bringing this artifact to me, I will give you one artifact from my collection in return." the Countess said carefully, her words measured and guarded- no doubt hiding her eagerness to have this object in her possession.

"I see no reason not to help you." I said with a faint ghost of a smile; the Countess knowing I had no interest in money, instead offering something I would want as a reward. The Countess smiled and divulged that the last known location of the relic I was to locate- The Draconian Madstone- was possibly located in an isolated valley in Pale Pass- a passage from Skyrim to Cyrodiil that had been lost since the First Era only to be found again just before the Oblivion Crisis. I was familiar with most of the history of Cyrodiil and the war with Akavir, so I asked only for details pertaining to the Madstone and how to reach the fabled valley. As the Countess paused for a moment, her steward handed me a parchment,

"The parchment you now hold is a translation of a diary that once belonged to an Akaviri courier, his orders being to deliver the order to retreat to the commanding officer at the fort. My sources have already found the first landmark, Dragon Claw Rock, hopefully the translation will aid you in locating the others; though be warned, you are not the first I have sent to locate the Madstone- though none have yet returned." The Countess continued with grim finality, I nodded and took my leave of the castle. Galris eagerly approaching me as soon as the doors closed behind me.

"Well? What are we after?" he asked curiously, seeming a little antsy and eager to leave Bruma quickly. I filled him in on the details as we made our way to the east gate just down the hill, though we soon found out path blocked by a small group of Nord men- looking angry and smelling strongly of mead.

"What business does an elf have with our Countess? Business for the Dominion no doubt." said one of the men, as ugly as he was tall. Galris stepping in front of me protectively,

"Lady Rin is not with the Dominion, you would do well to return to your cups and not make drunken accusations of people you don't even know." he said irritably, the leader of the drunken band laughing loudly as he brandished a steel mace.

"Bullshit. Dominion wench or not, her kind ain't welcome here." the Nord man said threateningly, his lackeys mimicking him as the drew their own weapons- a dagger and a one-handed axe respectively. I sighed and pushed Galris aside,

"If a confrontation is what you wish then I will oblige." I said with a smirk, while I wasn't normally willing to fight in the streets- this was a good opportunity to prove to Galris how weakly founded his concerns for me were. "Mikhail, keep the guards out of this." I shouted to one of my watching guard friends, who nodded and ushered his compatriots out of the vicinity. I held my arms out wide to show that I would remain unarmed, giving a sideways glare at Galris to ensure he would stay out of this. He nodded reluctantly and I motioned for the drunken trio to attack at their leisure.

"Come on then, or are you drunken buffoons all empty bluster?" I said with a smirk, confident that I would be done with these fools quickly. The leader charged at me first as I knew he would, raising his mace to slam down on my skull- reacting quickly I grabbed the handle of his mace with my right hand and pivoted around to slam my left elbow into his nose, pulling the weapon from his grasp and casting it aside before whipping around to kick the man down with a high pinwheel kick to the side of his head. Seeing their leader downed so easily did not deter the other two men, who charged as their leader had. The dagger wielding man reached me first, his forward stab easy to deflect as I kicked his hand to the side- my foot clamping his arm to the ground at the wrist as I leaned back to avoid the horizontal strike of the axe wielding man. I righted myself and dropped my elbow on the back of the dagger man's neck, knocking him out and kicking his dagger to the side before the axe wielder came back at me with his weapon swinging wildly. I made it appear that my intent was to kick the man in the chin as he came close- but pivoted mid-kick to hook my foot harmlessly on the base of the axe blade and used the force of pulling my whole body back into a cartwheel to draw the axe from the man's grasp; the axe flying uselessly to the side. Bewildered he came at me after a moments pause, thinking he could fair better with his fists than a weapon- tackling empty air before my elbow found it's mark in the back of his neck and he crumpled to the ground unconscious.

"Is that all you got? I'm disappointed, what happened to Nords being great warriors? Or is that just when your sober?" I said with a chuckle as I left the men to nurse their wounds and drown their prides in even more ale. Galris was blinking stupidly as I walked up to him, reaching a hand up to lightly slap his cheek to rouse him from his momentary stupor. "I told you I could handle myself, perhaps next time you will believe me." I said with a sly smirk as I headed for the east gate once again.

As we walked to the north-east in search of Dragon Claw Rock, I couldn't help but smile as Galris recounted my actions only an hour ago as if he doubted what he had seen.

"I had no idea you could fight like that, a Bosmer taking down three armed Nords without a single injury and without a weapon- and a woman Bosmer at that!" he said in disbelief. His words caught my attention,

"What does my being a woman have to do with anything?" I asked, my voice calm- but if his answer was what I suspected I didn't think that would last much longer.

"Combat is not the place for a woman- fair and delicate creatures that they are, belong safely at home." he said proudly, and I took a deep breath to quell my anger… I did not like chauvinists; men who believed women belonged in the kitchen or tending to children at home- worse still, blindly following the will of their husband.

"Do I really seem the 'fair and delicate' type to you? I hate the lady-like duties of my title and I live for adventure like this one, if your going to ruin it with your chauvinism then you can leave." I stated blankly, hiding my anger well. Galris sighed and seemed to accept that I was not the kind of woman he perceived me to be. I sighed and gave the faintest smile as I tried to forgive Galris for his assumption as Dragon Claw Rock came into view. One quick look at the translated diary lead us to the west, and a large statue of a man whose identity was lost to time; from there we headed north- finding the door to 'The Serpent's Trail' nestled in the side of the mountain and hidden from the world, the entrance guarded by a pair of trolls.

"Trolls… lovely. This will be a trying fight without fire magic." Galris said with a sigh as he drew his claymore and prepared to charge.

"Who said we didn't have magic?" I said with a smirk as I casted a small fire spell in one hand and placed the other on his shoulder to stop him from rushing blindly into the fray.

"You are a woman of many talents it seems. I am curious what other secrets you may hide." Galris said with a smirk as he regarded the flame with interest. I scoffed,

"I am an archer, not a mage. However I have not survived countless ruins and encounters without the use of a few good spells." I said with a playful wink as I doused the flames and drew my bow and launched an arrow at one of the two trolls- good fortune on my side as I caught it by surprise, killing it instantly. Galris charged out at the second troll, his claymore doing some damage before the troll knocked him back a few steps with one sweep of its massive arm- the wounds Galris had inflicted healing by the time his blade reached the troll once again. I let my fire spell fly, this time the troll's wounds did not heal- staunched just enough by the magical flames to allow for blood to flow freely without fully cauterizing. Each time Galris attacked and was sent back, my flames prevented the troll from healing; I had to admit, this was indeed a lot easier than taking the time to cast the spell before launching another arrow to attack when alone.

"We fight well together, when this is over perhaps you might consider a partnership?" Galris asked as the troll fell dead, his voice hopeful and his blue eyes reminding me of a puppy in some ways. I sighed as I made for the ancient door in the mountainside,

"We shall see, though I prefer to fight alone." I said simply as I opened the door and entered the Serpent's Trail with a disappointed Galris close behind.

The path was a fairly enclosed tunnel through the mountain, my bow being of little use should we encounter anything around a sharp corner.

"Galris, if you would take the lead? Your sword would be better suited to these tunnels than my bow." I said simply, knowing the Imperial man would jump at the opportunity to 'protect' me. He nodded and side-stepped around my small frame to stand in front of me as we made our way into the tunnels. At first we encountered nothing more than a single rat and Galris seemed rather disappointed that his skill with a blade was not as needed as he had thought- that is until the sound of heavy breathing caught my Elven ears. "Wait. I hear something." I whispered to him as I placed a hand on his armored shoulder, stopping him from turning the next corner. Galris carefully pressed his back to the wall, letting me brush by him in the tight tunnel before dropping into a crouch with my drawn bow in hand. Peered around the rough hewn stone corner, my eyes going wide as I watched an ogre lumbering about in a small cavern. I moved away from the corner and informed Galris of the ogre's presence- he sighed in response,

"First trolls, now ogres? I think I would rather be fighting rats." he whispered with a sarcastic grimace. I stifled a chuckle and crept back to the corner, drawing my bow once more and letting the arrow soar into the ogre's back, the ogre teetering forwards slightly before righting himself and charging at the source of the attack- me. As the ogre lumbered closer, I sent three more arrows into it's thick skin to little effect. Galris pushing me lightly aside as he brandished his claymore and kicked the ogre back as it raised it's arm to strike, sending it back further as he sliced his blade up across the creature's chest- it's blood glistening red on his blade in the dim light before he sank it deep into the ogre's throat. He drew his blade as the ogre fell backwards, dead before it even hit the ground,

"Arrows are of little use against armored targets or those of the thick skinned variety." he said with a teasing smirk, mimicking my taunting lecture I had give him earlier. I couldn't help but give a small pout before turning away and creeping down the tunnel on my own, finding a skeleton on the ground clutching a stone slate bearing ancient Akaviri symbols; I picked it up thinking perhaps the Countess might want such a relic for her collection, if not I could simply keep it for my own. Galris soon caught up to me quickly as I reached the end of the tunnel and opened the ancient door into the cold and snowy valley.

The snow fell heavy as we returned to the open air, though it was not quite a blizzard- it still obscured our vision considerably.

"And this is why I am not fond of the northern province." Galris said with a sigh as he wiped his bloody sword off on a snowdrift, leaving a red smear in the once pure white snow.

"I find it quite beautiful- cold- but undeniably beautiful." I said with a small smile as I looked up into the sky, snowflakes falling into the lashes of my half-lidded eyes.

"I can understand that sentiment." Galris whispered, his voice barely audible to my ears. I looked to him with excitement in my starlight blue eyes, if this valley existed then the fort we were searching for had to exist as well… and I was beyond eager to find it. As I drew my bow and began down what appeared to be a pathway through the valley, I could swear Galris looked almost sad- though I had no inclination as to why; I would have to ask him about it later. The snow let up as we journeyed further into the valley, the incredibly steep mountain sides acting like wind-breaks to slow the snowstorm; the wing shifting to favor us just in time to avoid another ogre in the middle of our path, Galris charging in as I hung back to aid him from afar. Though that was the only ogre we encountered… alive that is. We found what had to have been at least five snow covered ogre corpses along the path, no doubt killed by the previous explorers the Countess had sent. The corpses leaving a macabre trail leading directly to the ruin of the ancient fort, barely still standing after what appeared to be the effects of a rockslide that occurred long ago. We entered the outer ruin to find two more dead ogres and Galris whistled in awe,

"Who ever did this must have been skilled to have felled two ogres at once, the wounds are of the same blade- a single fighter did all this." he said in disbelief as he stood from inspecting the corpses.

"Well then, let us see if our lone warrior is still alive shall we?" I said with a smirk, the thought of competition for the Madstone making this endeavor all the more interesting.

Galris and I entered the ruined fort, the air dense and musty with stagnant air as we cautiously walked down the stairs into the main hallway. Finding two destroyed skeletal bodies of long dead Akaviri warriors and one tripped swinging log trap; dried blood evident on the ancient wood, though it appeared far too fresh to be from before the fort was lost.

"Our competition is injured." I murmured as I lightly placed my hand on the bloodstain, though it wasn't enough to be from a fatal wound, it would likely be slowing him or her down enough for us to catch up- or overtake him or her should a fight ensue. Galris said nothing as he checked the hallway for any dangers left behind by the previous adventurer, I simply rolled my eyes as I watched him peeking around corners as if he was still an Imperial Soldier on the front lines- even going as far as using military hand signals to tell me the coast was clear; I only knew them as such from how often my father had used them too. "At ease soldier, I have a strong feeling this area has already been cleared by our predecessor." I teased as I walked past him down the corridor left of the entrance, Galris grumbling inaudibly before following me through the corridor to a ledge overlooking the hall we had left behind only moments before- a switchback leading to a gap over the entrance hall, on the other side of the gap being a door and a chest. While I had no interest in finding treasures of the golden kind, I knew that other trinkets such as enchanted items or curious baubles could be found in such chests. My curiosity piqued as I took a few steps back and leapt across the gap with the ease of a mountain cat. I looked back at Galris, who grimaced doubtfully,

"I am not nearly as agile as you, I fear." he said simply, pausing for a moment to look around before continuing, "There is another door, I will take that one and hope our paths join- if not, I shall pray to see you unharmed once we take our leave of this place." he said solemnly, reluctant to leave me alone as he hopped down from the ledge and headed for the other door. I bit my lip as I pondered what I should do: follow him? Or let my curiosity take me through the door behind me without him?

"Galris. Be careful." I said kindly, having taken a liking to my Imperial companion- his concern for my safety was very new to me… but as I watched him leave, I began to realize if he died now I would miss the attention. No one had cared for me in such a way since my father passed; and perhaps Galris' friendship was what I needed to get my mind off my desire for vengeance? Galris smiled brightly up at me from the hallway below, giving a playful wink before disappearing into the next room. I smiled slightly and opened the chest to find a curious looking ring amongst the gold coins and the rusty weapons that I moved with care. The ring was silver with a simple cut sapphire set into the band, it was elegant indeed- but it seemed to radiate the faint magical aura of an enchantment. I would have to bring this ring to a friend of mine to be tested; best not to don an unknown enchantment from ages long past, as one can never know what could happen. I dropped the ring into my pocket before opening the door beside me, carefully entering the next room.

Going down a short hallway I found myself at the top of a short staircase, another skeleton standing silent vigil in the middle of the room at the base of the stairs. I drew my bow and nocked an arrow, drawing back the string and held it taunt as I aimed the tip of my arrow directly at my adversary before letting the arrow fly- my attack landing without error, the skeleton shattering into a heap of bones. With caution I descended the stairs, keeping another arrow nocked and ready to fire as I checked the room for unseen dangers. The only course out of the room and onward appeared to be a long, lone, hallway. I slowly crept along, the dark musty air clogging my sight so that I could only see about eight feet ahead of me as I watched the floor for traps- but I was aware of my surroundings enough to feel the ceiling give way before the rocks actually began to fall; no doubt a result of the rockslide years ago, my presence though light footed had somehow disturbed the precarious stones overhead. I jumped back and out of danger, thankfully not enough stone fell to truly block my path as I stepped around the debris and continued onward. I followed the hallway to what appeared to be a four-way split, though the left and right sides of the split were blocked by large iron gates- with switches beside them that looked as if they opened the doors… as curious as I was to see what lay beyond those gates, something told me that sometimes the old mantra about curiosity holds true and continued onward down the unhindered straight path. Not long after, my path was blocked once again by an iron gate- though on the other side I could easily see a bridge and beyond that a door that would allow me to further delve into the ruins of the fort. I flipped the nearby switch that raised the gate and lowered the bridge, moving forward slowly as I looked up to check for arrow traps that the Akaviri were famous for hiding in the ceilings of their forts; finding none I continued on, dropping another skeleton from afar as it stood at the other end of the bridge- having yet to notice me, nor would it ever as my arrow shattered it.

I entered the next room to see an Orc man laying on the floor in a pool of his own blood in the center of the room; he looked to me and spoke,

"This whole room is booby trapped, turn back before you get yourself killed." the Orc man said somberly, as if he had resigned himself to die here in this ruin alone.

"Not likely. The Akaviri were skilled trap makers, they would not have made a room impassable- how would soldiers have made this fort their temporary home otherwise?" I asked rhetorically as I stepped close enough to the pillars to activate the arrow traps, keenly watching the arrows as they darted across from starting pillar to the one opposite it; observing a set direction to the arrow's possible flight paths. A path through them appearing the longer I watched. The path was obvious to anyone who took the time to watch the trap in motion- the Orc having no doubt neglected to do so- and I began to make my way swiftly around the trap, sticking to the wall to the right of the door I had entered from. Walking swiftly around the trap to kneel on one knee beside the Orc,

"You have taken quite the beating, was it you who triggered the log trap in the main hall?" I asked him as I began to cast a simple healing spell to aid him. He grinned foolishly,

"Yeah that would be my handy work, I never saw the point in watching for traps- they never bothered me much before." he said cheerfully as his pain lessened and his wounds began to heal. I chuckled and shook my head,

"It's no wonder you ended up like this, carelessly rushing through a ruin will eventually get you killed." I said with a small laugh, the Orc remaining silent as his good cheer fell- and I realized by his expression… that death had been his intention all along. "Sorry… I guess you didn't want my help." I said quietly, mentally berating myself for not putting the pieces together sooner.

"It's fine. I'll just be on my way, there is still plenty of fort left for me to find my end." he said with what seemed to me to be a forced smile, his black eyes sad as he turned to walk away.

"Do you really want to die that badly?" I asked curiously, though I mentally chastised myself for asking as soon as the question left my lips.

"Not really… but I don't exactly have any reason to live." the Orc scoffed before kicking a floor switch, a bridge dropping into place to span the large gap that separated the room into two halves. I thought for a moment, this Orc was with out a doubt the adventurer who had felled the ogres outside- such skill should not go to waste with a meaningless death. Galris' suggestion earlier coming to mind,

"Why not come with me and my companion? If I asked him to, I'm certain he would not mind a trio rather than a duo." I asked with a smirk, and the Orc man paused for a moment as if he was debating with himself over something- his back still to me as he spoke over his shoulder.

"Would your friend still accept me if he knew I was gay?" he asked, his voice a tentative whisper- but my Elven ears still heard him loud and clear. I smiled and walked up to him, placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

"If he doesn't, then I will find a way to change his mind. You are who you are, I will not hold it against you." I said kindly, the Orc regarding me with disbelief before wrapping his massive arms around my thin frame in a great bear hug- lifting me off the floor considerably in his exuberant joy. I was surprised by his reaction and could see the fires of renewed hope in his eyes as he released me from his hug,

"So, what's your name? Mine is Kaalig, but you can just call me Kal." he said quickly, excitement still having a firm hold on him.

"Nice to meet you Kal, you may call me Rin. Now, shall we find the Madstone and my companion?" I said with a chuckle, getting past the introductions and back to the task at hand; Kaalig simply nodding and drawing a large Orcish Claymore from the sheath on his back before following me across the bridge he had lowered.

Together we dealt with the four skeletons on the other side of the bridge, I took out the first from afar- taking it by surprise and killing it instantly, though startling it's companions into attacking us on the bridge. Kaalig stepping around me to swing his claymore from side to side- oddly with the blunt side of his massive blade… and that's when I remembered that blunt weapons tend to fair better against the brittle bones of ancient skeletal warriors.

"Well done, truly one does not see such quick thinking from an Orc very often." I said bluntly, Kaalig grinning like an idiot once again.

"Thanks Rin, Mama always said I was a bright one- and my Mama was always right about those kinds of things." he said with a sheepish chuckle as he ruffled his short cut black hair. I smiled and made my way towards the only door left to us, entering to see a large staircase at the end of the short hallway- and at the top stood the ghostly figure of a soldier.

"We have long awaited your arrival, messenger." said the deep yet ethereal voice of the ghost commander as we approached the stairs, addressing us again as we ascended to the top. "What news do you bring? Our supplies have dwindled and the army of Reman is at our doorstep, tell me- what news of Akavir?" he asked, oblivious of his own demise; a mere shaded afterimage of this forts commander. I thought for a moment about what I should say, telling the ghosts about our search for the Madstone could will them out of their death-shocked stupor and into battle with us- then I remembered the stone slate I had found in the tunnels. I drew the slate out of my knapsack and handed it to the commander who took it in his ghostly hand, the slate crumbling to dust as the ghost seemed to smile. "Thank you, our mission is now complete and we may rest at last." he said with an air of finality, turning towards the door behind him and vanishing into it.

"Well, that was easier than I thought it would be." I said with a chuckle as I opened the door where the ghostly commander had vanished, seeing a small treasure room with a few chest and a small pedestal at the far end- atop the pedestal lay a necklace… the Draconian Madstone. I scooped it up and placed it in my knapsack, nodding to Kaalig that now would be a good time to leave- having found what we came for. We found a door not far from the Madstone's pedestal and opened it into a short hallway overlooking the bridge I had lowered just before finding Kaalig, jumping down onto it and back tracking through the hallways to the entrance hall- walking up the tall stairs and out the door into the fresh air and light of day once more.

"Well, well, it appears you've picked up a stray." Galris said with a sarcastic chuckle as he watched Kaalig for any signs of hostile intent. Finding my Imperial companion sitting safely on a rock outside the ruin relieved me greatly, though his condescension was not quite welcome.

"Galris, this is Kaalig. I've decided to take you up on your offer of partnership under one condition." I said simply, my face stony still as I hid my devious smirk. Galris grinned,

"Name it!" he said eagerly.

"Kaalig joins us, no discussions or disputes about it. You treat him poorly in anyway- and I find out about it- and the partnership ends immediately. Am I understood?" I said simply, laying out my terms plainly for him to think over. It only took Galris a moment to decide,

"Of course, I see no reason not to accept a fellow adventurer- especially if he kept you safe in that hell hole." he conceded with a laugh, I simply rolled my eyes- did this man think of anything other than my safety? Truly, it was cute at first and maybe a little heartwarming- now it was starting to get annoying.

"Lets return to the Countess shall we? I tire of this place, who knows if there are more ogres lumbering about." I said with a sigh, leading the two of them back through the valley and tunnel without incident. Together we breathed easy as the town of Bruma came into view and the town gates opened for us welcomingly. Once again I asked Galris to wait outside, as he was not with me during my previous meeting with the Countess and I knew she was not foolish enough to believe him a member of the previous group she had sent. I gave her the Madstone, the normally calm and collected Countess seemed close to weeping as she held the amulet in her hands for the first time. In exchange, she gave me a ring- "The Ring of The Vipereye"- an ornate silver ring set with an emerald that shimmered faintly with ancient magic; that the Countess said would enhance agility and protect the wearer from harmful magic to some degree. It would simply add to my countless collection of enchanted and difficult to find rings. I bid the Countess good day and left the castle with Kaalig in tow, thinking for a moment before tossing the ring to Galris.

"I remember you saying you weren't very agile, that ring should help with that." I said with a slightly teasing tone as Galris caught the ring in his armored hand. He chuckled as he donned the ring over his gauntlet with minimal difficulty, flexing his hand to check the fit before thanking me for the helpful gift before following me to the stables. Our business in Bruma done, we could now head home to Skingrad once more and rest before setting out on our next adventure- whatever that may be.

* * *

**Note: While I am aware of the fact that the "Lifting the Vale" quest is from TES4: Oblivion- it and other quests like it are something Rin would be very likely to do. So please keep that in mind in the future chapters. Thank you.**


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